China Radio International celebrates the inauguration of an overseas radio station in Mexico's Tijuana,  at CRI's headquarters in Beijing, China on Tuesday morning, November 2, 2010. The station is CRI's fiftieth overseas station. [Photo: CRI Online]

China Radio International (CRI) launched an overseas radio station in Tijuana, Mexico on November 1 local time. The station, broadcasting at AM 1470, is CRI's first Spanish speaking station in Latin America.

The Tijuana station marks the fiftieth overseas station on CRI's massive network.

The station will broadcast in Spanish for 12 hours each day from 18:00 PM to 6:00 AM. The broadcasts will reach an expected audience of six million, bringing them feature news, sports, entertainment and talk shows. The programs will mainly target the local audience and the Spanish-speaking communities in the United States.

CRI held an inauguration ceremony at CRI's headquarters in Beijing, China on Tuesday morning, Beijing time. Li Wei, vice minister of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, stressed the significance of the Mexican station, saying it will enhance the influence and competitive strength of Chinese radio programs and boost mutual understanding between China and the world.

CRI launched its first overseas radio station, FM 91.9, in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2006. Now, CRI is second only to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in terms of the number of overseas bases. CRI Director-General Wang Gengnian highlighted CRI's endeavors to build a modern, comprehensive international media that promotes better worldwide communication.

CRI has been pushing for more overseas radio stations in recent years. Its foreign bases on five continents broadcast in 41 different languages for more than 1,100 hours every day.